Running Out of Rain
Page 25
She pursed her lips. “Well, you should have been expecting it, considering I can’t seem to pass up sweets anymore. You’re gonna regret it, the bigger my butt gets, you know.”
“Uh uh … the more butt on you, the better, babe.” He flipped her off of him and took the to-go carton from her hands before kneeling on the bed. He pulled out the small black box from the container and flipped it open.
“I love you, Cyn, and I’d absolutely love it if you’d marry me.”
She stared at the beautiful vintage style engagement ring with a matching band. “Oh. Gorgeous! Where did you find these?”
“It was my mom’s set. I brought it in to a jewelry designer, and told her what I wanted. I added a bigger center diamond, smaller ones around the perimeter, and added the opals on each side because it’s your favorite gem as well as your birthstone. If you’d rather choose your own, wear this as a dinner ring and I’ll take you shopping for rings tomorrow.”
“Oh my goodness, I love it! Yes. Yes, of course I’ll marry you.” She waited until he’d slid the ring on her finger before throwing herself on top of him and covering his face with kisses.
He returned her kisses and laughed again. “You realize, of course, when our family and friends ask how this all went down, and you know they will, we can never tell them the truth.”
She joined in his laughter. “Never, ever! My reputation would be permanently sullied.”
He fell back on the bed, pulling her with him. “Babe, do you really like it? I called Trini and asked her opinion and she thought you’d prefer this over a new set.”
Cynthia’s mouth gaped opened. “Trini already knows?”
“Of course. You didn’t think I’d ask you to marry me without getting your children’s permission first, did you? It’s a matter of respect.”
“All my children know?”
“Sure. I had a talk with the three of them the day after the funeral. They were all for it.”
She shook her head. “Honestly, I had no idea you were such a sneak.”
“Well, I have to be, with you being so damn curious. I mean, you couldn’t even wait for dessert, when you had me here, with not a stitch on, other than my underwear.”
She pushed out her lower lip. “Did I hurt your feelings?”
“You might have, if I wasn’t so confident about how much you love me. Besides, it’s not your fault you’ve deprived yourself of desserts all these years. I’m happy as hell that you’re not so worried about putting on a pound or two. And do you know why?”
Her eyelids closed as his hands found her breasts. “Mm. You seem to have all the answers, so go ahead and tell me.”
“It’s because you’re so confident about my love for you.”
She smiled, and gave him a nod. “You’re right again.”
John Michael’s deep rumble of laughter vibrated in his chest. “You’re trying to flatter me, now, aren’t you?”
She cracked one eye open. “Believe me, if you weren’t right, I’d tell you.”
He stopped what he was doing, tilted her chin gently to face him. “You wouldn’t tip-toe around in order to make me happy, would you?”
“Uh uh. I don’t do that anymore.”
His beautiful smile returned, in full. “Exactly the answer I wanted to hear from you.” He rolled her over on her back, began kissing and nipping his way down her body.
She gasped as his tongue dipped into her belly button and then began a slow trail down her abdomen. “What are you doing?”
He paused, resting his cheek on her upper thigh. “I’m considering new ways to sully your reputation.”
She closed her eyes and relaxed, a slow smile spreading across her face as she visualized all the possibilities. “Well, all right, then.”
Bon jour! I hope you enjoyed Cynthia and John Michael’s story about finding love during the Prime of Life. It’s not required, but I’d adore hearing your opinions. So, if you enjoyed the story, and even if you didn’t, please consider leaving a review with Goodreads and/or your favorite retailer. ALL reviews, good or bad, are a learning opportunity!
Merci Beaucoup (Thank you so much)
Lori Leger
Recommended Read
FULL CIRCLE LOVE
Recommended reading for this book. Four short stories combined into one book, giving you the charming back story on John Michael’s son, Zachary, and the love of his life, Cathryn “Cat” McDaniel. Don’t miss out on the chance to put faces to their names.
E-Book
Acknowledgments
A shout out to my friends/book clubbers, critique partners, Karen Sue, Joan, Melissa, and Trish for reading this through, editing, and telling me what works and what doesn’t. It takes a village, and you are mine. And to DonnaMarie Tamucci-Denson, whose OCD, when it comes to finding errors, borders on phenomenal. Her one flaw being she’s a Dallas fan, amongst a bevy of Saints fans, but I love her anyway!
Once again, thanks to my husband, Mike, for keeping things afloat as I strive to meet deadlines, fight with formatting, book covers, and other various publishing woes. You’re still the best, and the only man I want in my life. Love you, babe.
To Amanda Miller Lapoint, for the awesome, awesome, AWESOME hand crocheted afghan and matching pillows with my name and logo crocheted into them. I am still stunned every time I see it. Thank you!
Locale Acknowledgments: D.I.’s (Basile, LA), The Town and Country Club, aka Chicky Town (Riceville, LA.), LuLu’s Lounge and The Circle Top (Both were located in Gueydan, LA back in the day), The Lake Shore Club, The Red Rose, The Regatta Seafood and Steakhouse, The Wave Café, (All are or were located in Lake Arthur, LA)
A shout out to the good people of Louisiana, especially those of Cajun lineage who know the difference between a good gumbo and a bad one, store bought roux and home-made, and why you should never eat boiled crawfish if the tails are straight. We are kind and generous, we are intelligent, strong, and resourceful, we are proud Americans—we are Cajuns.
And Cajuns … like country boys … will survive.
Other Works by Author
Other LORI LEGER Series
La Fleur de Love Series
Book 1: Some Day Somebody
Book 2: Last First Kiss
Book 2.5: Hart’s Desire (Novella)
Book 3: Brown Eyed Girl
Book 4: Heaven in Your Eyes
Halos & Horns Series
Book 1: Green Eyed Temptation
Book 2: Sarah Smile
Book 3: Meagan’s Marine
Book 4: One Year to Forever
Seasons of Love Series
Book 1: Hearts, Hearths & Holidays
Book 2: Spring Promise
Book 3: Sweet Summertime Love
Book 4: Christmas by Candlelight
Book 5: It’s a Summer Thing
Full Circle Love: Combined short stories from Seasons of Love series (Books 2-5) involving Cathryn and Zachary. Their story is revisited in
Running Out of Rain, a novel about Zach’s father and grandfather, John Michael and John David (J.D.) Ferguson.
Prime of Love Series
Book 1: Running Out of Rain
About the Author
Lori Leger is a wife, mother, doting grandmother, and Mistress of Procrastination. She lives in Louisiana with the love of her life, her very own Studley-do-Right. He’s earned his spot in the Keeper Husband’s Hall of Fame by allowing her to walk away from an eighteen year career as an Engineering Technician in Road Design to stay home and write.
She adores writing stories set in her beloved southwest Louisiana, where good Cajun cooking, helping your neighbors, and saying y’all is as normal as hurricanes, heat, and humidity. She figures as long as she’s not tunneling through ten feet of snow to get to her car, it’s a perfectly acceptable trade-off.
Lori has nine novels published in two series: La Fleur de Love and its spin-off, Halos & Horns series. She has also contributed to, as well as published, short stories in each of t
he five Seasons of Love anthologies, an author collaboration series. She’s contributed to the Sweet & Savory Cookbook of Authors, published by Top Ten Press. Lori also has an article published in the non-fiction book Writing After Retirement: Tips From Retired Writers, published by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, and edited and compiled by Carol Smallwood and Christine Redman-Waldeyer.
Running Out of Rain is the first book in her Prime of Love Series, novels dedicated to mature characters finding love and laughter through the everyday twists and turns of growing older. She has a second planned for a fall 2015 release date, and a third set for the summer of 2016.
LORI’S WEBSITE